FAQ's are Frequently Asked Questions
about subjects of common interest. The answers covered in this section of
FAQ's cover the operations of the Tiffin Police Department only. We
encourage your comments about this section and let us know if you would
like answers to something not detailed here.

A. Read the Recruitment Page.
A test is good for up to two (2) years. We will also post informationfrom time to time on this web page for other
civilian positions within the department.

Q. How experienced are Tiffin
Police Officers?

A. The average level of experience
for Tiffin Police Officers is approximately thirteen (13) years of service with
the City. This has resulted in a work force that is both highly
experienced and committed to giving a high level of performance to the
community.

Q. How safe is Tiffin?

A. The City of Tiffin is a
relatively safe community. Take a look at our selected crime statisticspage for further information.

It should be noted that every community is going to have crime. Even
though Tiffin is a small rural community, it remains the largest City in
Seneca County, providing much of the commercial, professional,
educational, and recreational/entertainment services for the region.
Additionally, the City has several State Routes going through it.

Q. How can I get to know the Police
Department better?

A. There are numerous ways to
become better acquainted with our Police Department. A few of these
include:

1. Participate in aRide-Alongwith a police officer. See first hand what a police
officer's job is all about. There are some age restrictions for this
program. For further information, contact the
Chief Monday - Friday
0830-1530. (419)447-2323.

2. If you are part of a group or
association, participate in a tour of the police facility. For further
information, contact (419)447-2323.

3. Ask for a representative from the Police Department to give a
presentation on a public safety related topic to your group or
organization. For further information, contact (419)447-2323.

Q. Can I get someone from the
Police Department to speak to my organization?

A. Yes, as mentioned in the previous
question, the Police Department has available officers skilled and
certified to speak in a wide variety of public safety related subjects to
community groups and organizations. Topics have included general issues
involving the Police Department and the criminal justice system,
residential/commercial crime prevention, school career days, K-9
demonstrations, Special Response Team demonstrations, personal protection,
child abuse awareness/prevention, violence in the workplace, defensive
driving/driver awareness, parenting, self-defense, etc. For further
information, contact (419)447-2323.

Q. I need to be fingerprinted. When
can I get it done and what does it cost?

Q. I am going on vacation. Will
the Police Department check on my house until I return?

A. Yes, the Tiffin Police Department
has an active House check Program. Prior to going on vacation come into or
call the Police Department and they will place you on a list. Be prepared
to list the license plate numbers of any vehicles left at the house, and
the name and phone numbers of anyone who will be responsible for the
location while you are gone. Officers check this list prior to the
beginning of their shift and make every effort to drive by these
residences to see if there is any suspicious activity.

Q. I have had several phone calls
from people representing themselves as police officers calling and asking
for donations for this and that! Are the callers really police officers? I
would like to help, but it sounds "fishy" to me.

A. Local police and sheriffs
departments generally do not solicit for donations over the telephone,
however, some private organizations which have police officers as members
do. If you have any questions about solicitations, call the Police
Department prior to committing to any donations. (419)447-2323.

Q. When I call 9-1-1, how does the
Police Department know where I am?

A. The Tiffin Police Department's
9-1-1 system automatically displays the phone number, name and address to
the dispatcher on any incoming 9-1-1 calls. The dispatcher will still ask
your phone number and address to verify the information. All 9-1-1 calls
on a cellular phone show up as Out of Area so you will have to give your
location. Remember, 9-1-1 is a powerful tool and has already saved many
lives, but it is used for emergencies only. All other requests for law
enforcement should be made on the Department's regular line (419)
447-2323.

Q. Sometimes in my neighborhood, I
see things that are out of place, or unusual, or people who are
"suspicious". I don't really feel comfortable with calling the police as
it may be nothing. Can you tell me about the procedure.

A. At any given time there are
officers on the street. The Tiffin Police Department counts on the twenty
thousand sets of eyes from our citizens to alert us to unusual situations.
Anytime someone calls, a dispatcher will take the information, ask
questions, decide on what/whom to send, and the urgency of the call. We
will respond to every call for service, though obviously, the less
important calls may take some time to get to. The Police Department
appreciates your calls and we rely on you to assist us by calling us
whenever you see anything that is suspicious or unusual. For any calls
that you do not consider an emergency, please call the Police Department
at (419)447-2323.

Q. What can be done about graffiti
in Tiffin?

A. The Tiffin Police Department
needs your help in preventing the spread of this problem. Persons caught
are prosecuted and required to make restitution and participate in
community work programs. Graffiti is often gang related and some is
considered "art" by taggers. Whatever the reason, graffiti is unsightly,
detracts from the community and accounts for significant dollar damage to
property. The best strategy to remove graffiti as a problem is to
eliminate incidence of graffiti as soon as it appears. Graffiti is
generally perpetrated by youths who want their graffiti message to be
seen. Prompt removal of the message prevents this, and the perpetrator is
likely to commit the crime again somewhere else, if at all. If graffiti
occurs on your property, report it to the Tiffin Police Department
immediately. After the police respond and photograph the graffiti, clean
it up as soon as possible. If you see graffiti on someone else's property,
including City and school property, report it to the Tiffin Police
Department immediately. (419)447-2323.

Q. What can be done about annoying
or harassing phone calls?

A. When you call the Tiffin Police
Department advise the dispatcher of the problem. An Officer will be
assigned to your case and he/she will conduct an investigation. The
officer will contact you to determine if you desire prosecution or if you
just want the calls to stop. If you don't know who is making the calls,
the Officer will give you a case number. You should then call the phone
company annoyance bureau with your case number handy, to have them place a
"trap" on your phone. It is important that you log the date and time of
the calls which are being trapped. After the phone company has traced the
trapped calls they will contact the Police Department for further
investigation. The Officer will then contact you and compare the
information form the phone company with your logs to determine who is
calling you.

Q. Should I install a burglar alarm
in my home?

A. Having an alarm system is a
matter of personal choice. Some people consider an alarm to be a deterrent
to would-be thieves. Others feel that the alarm gives them added security
when they are home or away. Alarm systems vary in cost, depending on what
type of detection system is employed. Some components are readily
available at home improvement centers for "do it yourself" installation.
Many licensed alarm companies are listed in the phone book. We recommend
that alarm buyers get at least two bids for the work, ask for references,
and make sure there is training provided to everyone who will use the
alarm system. Should you install an alarm, you will need an alarm permit.
Contact the Tiffin Police for information regarding the permit
(419)447-2323. False alarms waste police resources. After three (3) false
alarms in one year, you will be billed for the police response.

Q. Why do two (2) officers respond
to alarm calls or other calls for that matter?

A. All alarm calls are considered to
be real. The possibility of one or more persons committing a burglary is a
high risk call and requires two or more police officers to protect the
officers, secure the premises, and safeguard occupants, if any. Our
dispatchers will routinely dispatch two officers to any alarm call. The
police officers may request additional help if the circumstances or
location warrant it. Other types of calls are significantly more serious
than others so more than one police officer will be dispatched to them
initially and if not needed then one officer will return to service and
the other will take the report.

Q. Can we do anything about the
plastic advertisement bags and unsolicited newspapers that are thrown on
our porches or driveways?

A. Not at present. Court cases have
ruled that tossing of advertisements, or such similar activity, are
protected by the Constitution. You may simply toss such advertisements
into a garbage can and not read them if you wish.

Q. If I have been involved in an
accident, and want a copy of the police report, what can I do?

A. If you have an interest in
the accident, either as a vehicle owner, property owner, or driver, you
may obtain a copy of the report at theRecords Divisionof the Police Department. In most cases just
contacting your Insurance Company with the report number the Officer gave
you will be faster as we can give them the information directly.

Q. Why do I sometimes see two
officers at a traffic stop when someone is getting a ticket?

A. On a "normal" traffic stop there
are several things that are going on. A citation is written and the
driver's license and the vehicle's license plate are normally checked in
the BMV computer. The second officer is there to assist the first officer
in case warrants may be found on the driver/passengers, the driver may be
OVI or DUS, etc. Additionally, a "routine" traffic stop may have evolved
into a more serious law enforcement situation which requires more than one
police officer to handle the incident.

Why do Police Officers sometimes
park their car protruding into traffic when they stop a motorist?

This is to protect the officer from
being struck from the rear by approaching vehicles.

Do Tiffin Police Officers have
quotas for traffic citations?

Absolutely not. However, police
officers are expected to enforce traffic laws during their shift.

Q. How do I protest a parking
ticket?

A. If you have received a parking
ticket which you feel was unjustified or because of circumstances beyond
your control you feel that a ticket should not have been issued, you may
come to the Police Department and fill out a "Request for Parking Citation
Cancellation" form. This form then goes to the Officer who wrote the
violation who will then decide whether your reason is valid or not and get
back with you.

Q. What can I do about vehicles
parked in front of my house or business?

A. The Tiffin City Municipal Code
allows the Police Department to tow away vehicles which have been parked
in one location for 72 hours. These vehicles are considered abandoned
because they haven't moved in that length of time. When you call the
Tiffin Police Department be ready to give them the following information,
the vehicle's location, license plate number and a brief description of
the vehicle. The Tiffin Police Department will ensure that the vehicle is
not reported stolen and will send an officer out to mark the vehicle's
exact location and fill out a warning notice. The notice will have the
date and time the officer marked the vehicle. If the vehicle is not moved
after 72 hours from the time the officer leaves the notice, an attempt
will be made by the Officer to locate the registered owner. If no one can
be located then the vehicle will be towed and stored at the registered
owner's expense.

Q. My neighborhood seems like a
speed trap, with police officers working radar a lot. Don't they have more
important calls to take care of?

A. Collisions, particularly injury
collisions, are a serious concern to all of us. Excessive speed was a
factor in many of these accidents. We strive to work a balance between all
of our responsibilities, including traffic enforcement. Our aim at using
radar is to reduce the speed of the vehicles traveling the roadway, and
bring the average speed of cars using the road down to a safe level. In
many cases, radar is only used on a street after an exhaustive engineering
study has been made of the roadway. Such a study includes the measuring of
vehicle speeds, the accident history of the roadway for the past five
years, the state average of collisions for similar roadways, and the
nature of the roadway and neighborhood itself. In many cases the neighbors
themselves in that particular neighborhood have requested the traffic
enforcement.

Q. What can be done about vehicles
speeding down my street?

A. Call the Tiffin Police Department
and advise the dispatcher of the problem. When a police officer is
available, he/she will be sent out to your area for extra patrol and radar
traffic enforcement. It also helps to tell the dispatcher the time(s) of
the violations.

Q. How does traffic radar work?

A. Simply speaking, a radar device
sends out a signal which bounces off the approaching vehicle and returns
to the device which determines the speed of the vehicle and displays it in
miles per hour to the operator. The radar "guns" have built in calibrating
devices to insure their accuracy. They are tested each day they are in
use. Additionally, the Police Department uses moving and stationary radar
devices.

Q. I see city police officers in
the County sometimes. Do they have the authority to be there?

A. In Ohio, municipal police
officers are given their peace officer authority under the Ohio Revised
Code. By law we can be requested to assist or back-up other agencies For
example, a Tiffin Police Officer could legally exercise peace officer
authority in Bettsville or Republic or the County. However, the use of
peace officer authority outside the city employing a police officer is
generally governed by department policies and state and local mutual
aid/assistance agreements.

Q. Why do I occasionally see police
officers from several agencies at one incident?

A. The law enforcement agencies
which serve Seneca County have an excellent working relationship with each
other. These include the Seneca County Sheriff's Office, Attica Police
Department, Bettsville Police Department, Bloomville Police Department,
Fostoria Police Department, Green Springs Police Department and the
Republic Police Department. When one agency calls for assistance due to a
significant incident which requires additional personnel, the other
agencies respond without hesitation. These types of responses are also
dictated and governed by department policies and state and local mutual
aid/assistance agreements.

When we receive a barking dog
complaint, an officer is sent to investigate. If the owners are not home,
we will try to obtain a responsible person to take control of the animals.
We will also enter the complaint into our computer system. If enough
complaints are received from a certain address over time, establishing
this as a chronic nuisance a citation can be issued.

Does The Tiffin
Police Department provide bicycle licenses? Is there a fee?

You will need to
bring your bicycle (or all of its information) to the front counter of the
Tiffin Police Department and a dispatcher will issue a license. There
currently is no fee, and the license will be valid forever. The
information will be put into our computer system and is used to look up
stolen bikes or found bikes to get them back to their owners even if the
license is scraped off of the bike.

When and how can I file a police report?

The Tiffin Police Department is open 24 hours a
day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. If a crime occurred in Tiffin and you
are in Tiffin, we will send an officer to assist you or to investigate the
crime. If you prefer, you can come to the police department, and an
officer will be called in to take your report.

When can I pick up a copy of a report?

The business office is open Monday through
Friday, from 8AM until 4:30PM, with the exception of some holidays.